How the Oscar-Nominated Movies Can Make You a Better Boss

So, I have a confession to make. I am an entrepreneur and a mother, and my time is precious. I have very little free time-- but what free time I do have in the first two months of the year is spent watching every Oscar nominated film. I've seen every one this year, and it occurred to me that weaved throughout each of these films are some serious pearls of wisdom for entrepreneurs. As you sit down this weekend to watch the Oscars, see if you can pick up on any of these leadership themes from the Best Picture nominees:

American Hustle: Fake it til you make it.

Irving Rosenfeld and his partner Syndey Prosser are forced to work with the FBI when they are busted for running a total sham of a business. They get into a situation that is way outside their comfort zone, and are forced to work on the biggest, and scariest, con of their lives. By pushing themselves beyond their perceived limits, they discover an awful lot about themselves, and what they are truly capable of. Leaders can and should get comfortable being uncomfortable--and pushing forward even when it feels impossible.

Captain Phillips: Nice guys finish first.
When Captain Richard Phillips was commanding a cargo ship 145 miles off of the Somali coast, he was captured by pirates. Unlike the pirates, the Captain and his crew were unarmed and had only their negotiating skills to carry them through. Through his ability to connect with the lead pirate, Muse, Captain Phillips was able to protect his men and survive an incredibly challenging situation. He knew exactly how to handle this armed, unstable pirate--and it wasn't by playing hardball. He was simply kind, and thoughtful, while remaining strong and solid in his approach. He was nice, but not weak--a key lesson for all of us.

Dallas Buyers Club: Be solution-oriented.
When Ron Woodruff, a rodeo cowboy was diagnosed with HIV and given 30 days to live, he tried to begin the typical treatments of AZT, and found that the system and the drug was completely broken. He decides to cross the border into Mexico where he learns about alternative solutions to treat HIV, and begins smuggling them into the U.S. and starts the "Dallas Buyers Club," a membership club where HIV patients can get these alternative medications. His willingness to tackle this problem with an (albeit illegal) solution, lengthened the lives of thousands of HIV patients and changed the course of HIV treatment. Although he had a lot of mixed feelings about the gay community, many of whom were his customers, Ron worked to push past his own ignorance to solve a problem and had a successful, game-changing business as a result. As a leader, are you solving problems with your product or on your team? You should be.

Gravity: Remember the power of mentors.
When Dr. Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first shuttle trip to space, ends up having a freak accident on a routine spacewalk, she and astronaut Matt Kowalsky are left spiraling in space, tethered to each other. Matt spends the next hour telling her various lessons about life and space, and their connection is as deep as they come. When Matt and Ryan get separated, Ryan is forced to channel Matt's confidence and knowledge to help get her home. She brings back his words and takes from them what she needs to in order to survive. Many of us as leaders have met people who have said things that we took with us on our journeys. Remember and look for people whose words and actions can inspire you to great success.

Her: Human connection is important.
Theodore Twombley lives in LA in the not-too distant future. He becomes fascinated by a new advanced operating system--basically Siri on steroids. "Samantha," his OS, is so advanced that she feels like a real person. Their connection is deep, and as Samantha gets more and more advanced, it gets complicated. Watching Her was like a giant reminder that we are headed towards a time where technology can and will advance faster than we'd ever expect. Through all of this, it's more important than ever for leaders not to become isolated. We constantly use technology to make our time-pressed lives more efficient, but we must, to be good leaders, make time for people--our most important asset.

Nebraska: If you don't make time for family, you'll regret it.
Nebraska is the story of David and his drunken, elderly, disoriented father Woody. When Woody receives a letter stating that he won a million dollars in a mail-order sweepstakes, he is convinced it's not a hoax. His son David agrees to drive him from Billings, Montana, to Lincoln, Nebraska. David essentially stops his life to go on this goose chase for his father, and along the way, repairs old, damaged relationships with his entire family. As leaders, we can't always stop everything we are doing to spend a week on a road trip with our most difficult and challenging family members, but it's important to ensure that our family relationships are a priority.

Philomena: Don't accept no for an answer.
Based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, this film tells the story of Philomena, a woman who was forced to give her child up for adoption by the nunnery that took her in when she was a pregnant teenager. Philomena had tried to discover the whereabouts of her son, who she signed away to an abbey in Ireland, but based on the church doctrine, she was not entitled to any information about him. It was only after a journalist contacted her and encouraged her to push past the church's refusal to cooperate that Philomena learned the truth about what happened to her son. Because she learned to not accept the first "no" that she got, she was able to achieve her goal and find peace. Leaders need incredible resilience, and they must push forward even when faced with challenges.

The Wolf of Wall Street: There are no shortcuts to success.
New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort built a giant empire off of selling penny stocks. A life filled with greed and corruption, Jordan was the ultimate "get rich quick" hustler--living a life of affluence filled with drugs and corruption. Jordan's story reminds us all as leaders that there truly are no shortcuts to success. True leaders don't cheat their way to the top, and the ones that do, have short-lived success.

12 Years a Slave: Even when the odds are stacked against you, always believe in yourself. 
This true story follows the incredible tale of Solomon Northop, a free man who lived in the North in the 1800s. Abducted and sold into slavery, Solomon spent 12 years living as a slave in deplorable, unimaginable conditions. It seemed that Solomon would never return to his life as a free man--and yet, he never gave up hope and never stopped believing that he was free. Though none of us could imagine a life like Solomon's, we as leaders can face insurmountable odds. Haven't we all felt like it was totally hopeless at one point or another? We must remind ourselves that being a leader involves lots of ups and downs, and that it is only our ability to believe in ourselves and our strength to lead through difficult times that will carry us through.

When you're watching the Oscars this weekend, remember that there are leadership lessons to be learned from each and every film.

Which lesson resonates most with you? Who do you think will win the Best Picture prize this weekend?

8 Simple Truths About Business

Over the past 30 years, I've interviewed hundreds of executives, ranging from living legends to unknown entrepreneurs struggling with their initial startups, as well as dozens of sales and marketing gurus.

As an engineer and marketer, I've participated in the growth of a wildly productive organization and observed--firsthand and up close--as two huge companies disintegrated under the weight of their own collective stupidity.

For the past seven years, I've had daily conversations with scores of readers about surviving and thriving in the corporate world. Based on all of the above, this much I know is true:

1. You are a freelancer.

Regardless of whether you're the CEO of a huge company or a drone starting in the mailroom, you are a freelancer.

Even if you've got a salaried position with benefits, perks, paid vacations, and a fancy title, you are a freelancer.

Being a freelancer means that your value to your company, your peers, and your investors is only as good as your last win.

Being a freelancer means constantly developing new opportunities, defining new products, and planning three steps ahead.

There is one alternative to being a freelancer: being unemployed and unemployable.

2. You are your own boss.

CEOs get this, of course, but it's also true for everyone else. Since you're a freelancer, your manager--the person you "report" to--is more like a client or customer, which means you must constantly manage the relationship.

As a freelancer, you must be capable of managing not just upward and downward, but sideways as well. You must influence and convince your coworkers to help you achieve your goals, usually by helping them achieve theirs.

Most importantly, you must learn to manage yourself, controlling your thoughts, habits, and actions so that they serve your greater purpose.

3. You must learn to sell.

Selling is the soul of business. Companies that can't sell their products go bankrupt. Even nonprofits and government agencies depend entirely on somebody's ability to sell the usefulness of whatever service those organizations provide.

What's true for companies is absolutely true for you as a freelancer. Your ability to succeed will always be dependent upon your ability to sell yourself and your ideas.

Unless you want to be (or be seen to be) entirely irrelevant to everyone around you, you must not just learn to sell, but learn how to be good at it.

4. Clarity is power.

In the past, some business folk were like politicians and found it useful to blur issues with double talk, jargon, and biz-blab. The saying then was: "You can't pin Jell-O to the wall!"

Today, however, the business world is flooded with too much information. The endless challenge is now to simplify what's complex, without being simplistic.

Whoever can communicate clearly now commands vast power over the vast majority of people who are drowning in a sea of data.

5. People skills trump tech skills.

While it's generally useful to know how to use technology, your ability to create value (and to sell it to others) emerges from understanding other people, discovering what motivates them, and figuring out how to satisfy their individual needs.

6. Courage is real, security is not.

Forget job security because it doesn't exist. To fight--and win--against the inevitable changes and challenges that come into your life and industry takes courage.

Courage is not the same as being fearless. Only fools are fearless. Courage means taking risks to get what you want. Courage means facing the reality that if you stand up for what's right, you might lose your job or your company.

There is only one alternative: become a victim.

7. Your beliefs drive your results.

To be successful, you must differentiate between facts (reality) and beliefs (interpretations of what facts mean.) Your beliefs, not the facts, determine how well (or badly) you'll perform in any given situation.

For example, one person believes that a slow economy means, "It will be nearly impossible for me to sell this product." Another person might believe that "companies need my help now more than ever."

Which of the two is most likely to succeed?

8. Business is simple.

While every industry and every profession requires specific expertise, the business of business tends to be rather simple.

Unfortunately, the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of management consultants, industry analysts, and corporate trainers depends upon keeping things complex--because, after all, if business is simple, why hire those guys? Good question!

How to Stay Positive Around Negative People!

2 Ways to Stay Positive When Dealing With Negative People

By Tony Robinson 

We all have to deal with negative people at some point in lives, we just do. Sometimes we can avoid them, other times we can’t. Sometimes these negative people stay for a little while, other times they stay long enough to make us want to jump off a bridge.

But since we know it’s a fact of life that negative people exist, what can we do deal with Negative Nancy and Pessimistic Peter?

Understand They Have Different Values

There are times when the negative people we have to deal with aren’t always negative, they just happen to be really negative in certain situations.

When I started college, I was an engineering major. I did really well in school and got accepted into a summer internship program with one of the biggest oil companies in the world. It was awesome. I performed so well in the internship program that they brought me back the following summer. After the second summer I was told I had a full time job waiting for me once I graduated.

But unfortunately, not only did I turn down that high paying job offer, I left the engineering major entirely! I realized that engineering wasn’t my passion and I began studying small business management instead.

My family wasn’t so thrilled about the idea. I was going to be the first one in my family to get a college degree, and the fact that it was going to be an engineering degree made my family ecstatic because they knew that a degree in engineering meant financial security. That’s what was important to them, a nice steady paycheck with great benefits.

So when news broke that I was changing my major, my family voiced a lot of concerns and brought a pretty negative attitude to the situation. They kept reminding me of the time that would be wasted and the big payday that would never come. It was tough to hear, and it even made me second-guess my decision.

But I had to go back and remind myself of what my values were. What was important to me? Delivering something of significance to world the world, and I felt that a degree in engineering wouldn’t allow me to really reach my potential.

I valued significance, my family valued security. We couldn’t have been further apart from each other.

Once I realized that we had such a big difference in values on the topic, it made it a lot easier for me to tune out the negative comments and energy they were sending my way.

Take Responsibility for Your Own Happiness

Negativity is contagious. It’s easy for someone else’s negative thoughts to slowly creep over and start affecting you in a negative way.

But positivity is also contagious, so when someone is giving you a lot of negative energy, you have to fight back with positive energy. You can’t allow someone else’s negativity to become yours. Just because Negative Nick doesn’t think it’s a good idea for you to go after your dreams, that doesn’t mean you have to think it’s a bad idea too.

You have to be responsible for you own happiness and positivity. If we break down the word responsibility we get “response – ability”. Responsibility is simply your ability to respond.

You don’t have the power to choose what life throws at you, or what these negative people do and say to you, but, you do have the ability to choose how you respond and that’s what’s most important.

You can choose to respond in way that lets the negativity drains your positivity and makes you feel hopeless and frustrated, or you can choose to respond in way that makes you work even harder and focus even more on the positive aspects of the situation.

The dictionary defines responsibility as “the opportunity or ability to act independently and make decisions without authorization”. That means you don’t need an ok from anyone else to act on something that you’re responsible for. So even when the negative people disagree with you, who cares?

It helps if you ask yourself,

• “What can I do to reinforce my positive attitude?”
• “What can I do to discredit their negative attitude and opinion?”

Your happiness depends more on your own attitude than any external factors. So don’t let the negative people of the world get you down.

4 Ways To Ignite Your Personal Passion

By Brian Heat 

Personal passion is the explosive flame you possess inside in the form of strong ideas, gifts and fascinations. It is this passion that propels you towards your very own unique forms of creative expression, fields of interests and adventurous curiosity.

It is also your passion that drives you to push beyond obstacles and self-limitation.

The question then becomes, how do we tap into this enormous power?

1. “You Are a Walking Phenomenon”

As of right now there are over 7.1 billion people on the planet, but only one of you. Down to your very DNA you are a walking phenomenon, an anomaly of sorts…a unique deviation from every other person the world. You were born for reason, designed for a purpose and meant to be here. Embrace your individuality and know that your dormant talents were given to you as a gift. Determine your uniqueness, your strength and your voice…then begin to introduce it to the world.

2. “Chasing The Rush of Fascination”

I’ve often described the feeling your personal passions give you as “The Rush”, or that fiery exhilaration you sense inside while engaged. For some, it may be the excitement of competition that comes from playing sports, while for others the relaxation and creative outlet artist experience while performing.

Starting right now, feel yourself returning to those certain experiences that captivated you and moved your heart once before. Reflect back to reawaken the passions you once possessed assures that where you presently direct your time, efforts and focus is directly connected to the youthful spirit you were from the beginning.

3. The “MASSIVE Power of Mentors”

Now once you’ve taken the time to identify what gifts, talents and experiences that once sparked within you, your next move is to place yourself in situations where you can accelerate your learning and explore everything your passion has to offer. At this point, mentors become invaluable resources because in most cases they’ve already walked the road you are embarking on and now possess the essential expertise needed to point you in the right direction towards more opportunities for growth, resources and access to other like minded individuals. Now, in those cases where the mentors you require are not within your immediate circle of influence, I recommend using the web to profile those accomplished game changers in your fields through their bios, interviews and wisdom filled back stories.

4. “Build a Storm Ready Vision”

What continues to ignite the strength behind your passion as you travel your journey is your ability to create and hold an explosive vision that reflects everything that passion encompasses. This vision is nothing more than a crystal clear mental picture of what exactly you desire to accomplish or become. Just like a beacon in the storm this inspired vision helps you navigate your thoughts, actions and behaviours to stay focused. But in order to keep this vision realistic and grounded you must build into your vision the possibility of adverse circumstances and obstacles that will come along the way. With this in mind, as circumstances occur that attempt to deter your efforts you will already be prepared with contingency plans and alternatives routes to keep progressing forward.

How the Best Entrepreneurs Think

How The Best Entrepreneurs Think

If you just observed the actions entrepreneurs take, you would conclude there isn’t that much to be gained from studying them. Each entrepreneur’s behavior is as idiosyncratic as they are. You would have to be Larry Page and Sergey Brin to start Google; Oprah Winfrey to found Harpo Productions.

But—and it is a huge but—if you look at how they reason, you see remarkable similarities.

The process just about all of them follows in creating their companies looks like this. They:

1. Figure out what they really want to do; what gets them excited. In other words, what is it that they really desire.
2. Take a small step toward that goal.
3.  Pause after taking that small step to see what they have learned.
4.  Build off that learning and take another small step.
5. Pause after taking that step.
6. Then they build off what they learned and take another small step…

If we were to reduce it to a formula, it would be, as we have written about before, Act. Learn. Build Repeat.

In other words, they don’t spend a lot of time planning or playing “what if” games. You never truly know how the universe is going to react until you give it something to react to.

So, in the face of an unknown future, entrepreneurs act. They deal with uncertainty not by trying to analyze it, or preparing for every contingency, or predicting what the outcomes will be. Instead, they act, learn from what they find, and act again.

Three things follow, all of them good. There are three wonderful benefits of taking this approach. 

1. You can get started right away.  
2. You don’t do a lot of planning and guessing about what the market might want. 
3. You go out into the marketplace and find out.

·         You don’t need a lot of resources. Remember, the best entrepreneurs are taking small steps toward their goals.  That means they just need sufficient resources to take the next step.

·        You can quickly respond to market needs.  Because they are moving rapidly, and don’t have a lot of resources committed, they can move to satisfy customer needs almost as quickly as those needs appear.

It is a simple, straight-forward approach. And what worked for these people should work for you.

The Four Best Ways to Solve Problems

The 4 Most Effective Ways Leaders Solve Problems

With as many problems as we are all faced with in our work and life, it seems as if there is never enough time to solve each one without dealing with some adversity along the way.  Problems keep mounting so fast that we find ourselves taking short-cuts to temporarily alleviate the tension points – so we can move onto the next problem. In the process, we fail to solve the core of each problem we are dealt; thus we continuously get caught in the trap of a never-ending cycle that makes it difficult to find any real resolutions.  Sound familiar?

Problem solving is the essence of what leaders exist to do.  As leaders, the goal is to minimize the occurrence of problems – which means we must be courageous enough to tackle them head-on before circumstances force our hand.  We must be resilient in our quest to create and sustain momentum for the organization and people we serve. But the reality of the workplace   finds us dealing with people that complicate matters with their corporate politicking, self-promotion, power-plays and ploys, and envy. Silos, lack of budgets and resources, and many other random acts or circumstances also make it harder for people to be productive. 

Competitors equally create problems for us when they unexpectedly convert a long-standing client, establish a new industry relationship, or launch a new product, brand or corporate strategy.   Mergers & acquisitions keep us on our toes and further distract us from solving existing problems by creating new ones.

As Karl Popper, one of the most influential 20^thcentury philosophers of science, once eloquently stated, “All life is problem solving.” I’ve often contended that the best leaders are the best problem solvers. They have the patience to step back and see the problem at-hand through broadened observation; circular vision. They see around, beneath and beyond the problem itself. They see well-beyond the obvious. The most effective leaders approach problems through a lens of opportunity.

Leaders who lack this wisdom approach problems with linear vision – thus only seeing the problem that lies directly in front of them and blocking the possibilities that lie within the problem. As such, they never see the totality of what the problem represents; that it can actually serve as an enabler to improve existing best practices, protocols and standard operating procedures for growing and competing in the marketplace. They never realize that, in the end, all problems are the same – just packaged differently.

A leader must never view a problem as a distraction, but rather as a strategic enabler for continuous improvement and opportunities previously unseen.

When I launched my first venture in the food industry, we had a problem with the adhesion of the labels to the glass jar packaging of our products that affected nearly 20% of an initial shipment.  As circumstances would have it, this was the first shipment to a new client that was “testing” our new products in 200 stores with an opportunity to expand our distribution to over 2500 stores nationally.  Instead of panicking, we took a problem solving approach that involved multiple steps and resulted in a full-blown change management effort with our label supplier, manufacturer, trucking company and client.  Rather than viewing this problem simply as a hurdle that could potentially lose us the client, we took proactive measures (and a financial investment) to show our new client that we were capable of not only solving the problem – but earning their trust by responding promptly and efficiently  with a comprehensive step-by-step incident report that included our change management efforts.

This experience taught us many lessons about our company and helped us to avoid many unforeseen problems.  The ROI from how we handled this problem helped open our eyes to many elements that were previously being overlooked – and in the long run it helped enable us to grow the business.

Whether you are a leader for a large corporation or a small business owner, here are the four most effective ways to solve problems.

1.  Transparent Communication

Problem solving requires transparent communication where everyone’s concerns and points of view are freely expressed. I’ve seen one too many times how difficult it is to get to the root of the matter in a timely manner when people do not speak-up.

Yes, communication is a fundamental necessity. That is why when those involved in the problem would rather not express themselves – fearing they may threaten their job and/or expose their own or someone else’s wrong-doing – the problem solving process becomes a treasure hunt. Effective communication towards problem solving happens because of a leader’s ability to facilitate an open dialogue between people who trust her intentions and feel that they are in a safe environment to share why they believe the problem happened as well as specific solutions.

Once all voices have been heard and all points of view accounted for, the leader (with her team) can collectively map-out a path toward a viable and sustainable solution.  As fundamental as communication may sound, don’t ever assume that people are comfortable sharing what they really think. This is where a leader must trust herself and her intuition enough to challenge the team until accountability can be fairly enforced and a solution can been reached.

2.  Break Down Silos

Transparent communication requires you to break down silos and enable a boundary-less organization whose culture is focused on the betterment of a healthier whole.   Unnecessary silos invite hidden agendas rather than welcome efficient cross-functional collaboration and problem solving.

Organizational silos are the root cause of most workplace problems and are why many of them never get resolved. This is why today’s new workplace must embrace an entrepreneurial spirit where employees can freely navigate and cross-collaborate to connect the problem solving dots; where everyone can be a passionate explorer who knows their own workplace dot and its intersections.  When you know your workplace dot, you have a much greater sense of your sphere of influence. This is almost impossible to gauge when you operate in silos that potentially keep you from having any influence at all.

In a workplace where silos exist,  problem solving is  more difficult  because you are more likely dealing with self-promoters – rather than  team players fostered by a cross functional environment..  When you operate in a siloed environment where everyone wants to be a star, it becomes increasingly difficult to help make anything or anyone better. This is when problem solving becomes a discouraging task.

Breaking down silos allows a leader to more easily engage their employees to get their hands dirty and solve problems together. It becomes less about corporate politicking and more about finding resolutions and making the organization stronger.

3.  Open-minded People

Breaking down silos and communication barriers requires people to be open-minded.  In the end, problem solving is about people working together to make the organization and the people it serves better. Therefore, if you are stuck working with people that are closed-minded, effective problem solving becomes a long and winding road of misery.

There are many people in the workplace that enjoy creating unnecessary chaos so that their inefficiencies are never exposed. These are the types of people (loafers and leeches) that make it difficult for problems to get solved because they slow the process down while trying to make themselves look more important.  Discover the lifters and high-potential leaders within the organization and you will see examples of the benefits of being open-minded and how this eventually leads to more innovation and initiative.

Open-minded people see beyond the obvious details before them and view risk as their best friend. They tackle problems head-on and get on with the business of driving growth and innovation.  Close-minded employees turn things around to make it more about themselves and less about what is required to convert a problem into a new opportunity.

With this explanation in mind, carefully observe the actions of others the next time you are dealt a real problem.

4.  A Solid Foundational Strategy

Without strategy, change is merely substitution, not evolution.  A solid strategy must be implemented in order to solve any problem.  Many leaders attempt to dissect a problem rather than identify the strategy for change that lies within the problem itself.

Effective leaders that are comfortable with problem solving always know how to gather the right people, resources, budget and knowledge from past experiences. They inspire people to lift their game by making the problem solving process highly collaborative; for them, it’s an opportunity to bring people closer together. I’ve always believed that you don’t know the true potential and character of a person until you see the way they solve problems.

Effective leaders connect the dots and map-out a realistic plan of action in advance. They have a strategy that serves as the foundation for how the problem will be approached and managed. They anticipate the unexpected and utilize the strengths of their people to assure the strategy leads to a sustainable solution.

Never shoot from the hip when problem solving. Avoid guessing. Take enough time to step back and assess the situation and the opportunities that each problem represents. Make the problem solving process more efficient by recognizing that each problem has its own nuances that may require a distinct strategy towards a viable resolution.

You know that you have great leadership in your organization when problem solving becomes a seamless process that enables the people and the organization to grow and get better.  If problem solving creates chaos, you may have a serious leadership deficiency.

Problem solving is the greatest enabler for growth and opportunity. This is why they say failure serves as the greatest lesson in business and in life.  Be the leader that shows maturity, acts courageously, and requires accountability.  Applying each of these lessons can help you become a master problem solver. Each experience teaches us all new things. Embrace problem solving and the many unseen treasures it represents.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/11/04/the-4-most-effective-ways-leaders-solve-problems/

5 Ways to Build an Extraordinary Team Culture

5 Ways to Build an Extraordinary Team Culture

When your employees work together to achieve common goals, everyone wins--you, your business and your customers.

Employee teams are one of the best ways to get things done in any business. When you take a group of independently talented people and create a team in which they can merge their talents, not only will a remarkable amount of energy and creativity be released, but their performance, loyalty and engagement will be greatly improved.

Here are five steps for building an extraordinary team culture:

1. Create a Team-Oriented Organization

Make teamwork one of your core company values, and put a clear emphasis on self-managing teams that are empowered to make their own decisions. Don't just talk about teamwork. Show your employees the seriousness of your commitment by giving teams the authority to get their jobs done on their own terms, while ensuring they accept responsibility for the results.

2. Assign Serious Team Goals

Give your teams really important assignments and projects, not just planning for next summer's annual company picnic. Bring teams in when you're looking at new trends in the market, or need to see things through new eyes. It's important to mix it up and not have the same people making the same decisions all the time. Ask them to challenge the status quo and the conventional wisdom. This will help to keep your company fresh and ahead of the game.

3. Encourage Informal Teams

More work in organizations is accomplished through informal teams than formal ones. It's therefore in your interest to encourage the proliferation of informal teams throughout your company, addressing any and all issues and opportunities that capture their interest. When your employees are able to tackle concerns themselves, without elevating every little decision to top management, you'll have a much more efficient organization.

4. Cross-Train Employees

When employees understand how different areas of the company work, they are more apt to make decisions that benefit the company as a whole, rather than solely their own department or group. Give your employees the opportunity to learn other people's jobs. Some organizations go as far as switching employee roles on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. And don't forget your managers. Have top executives spend a few days working on the front lines with customers or directly with your product. They'll have a new appreciation for what your regular employees go through on the job.

5. Provide Team Resources

No matter how talented a company's individuals might be, teams cannot be successful without the proper resources. Teams need a designated and available place where they can regularly meet. Nothing much can be achieved in an over-crowded lunch room. All employees need to be given adequate time to devote to their team meetings, with no grief from supervisors. And make sure to supply your teams with an appropriate budget if required, and the permission--with guidance--to spend it as they see best for the company.

BY PETER ECONOMY